The art of jewelry display relates to the showing of certain precious commodities in a glass showcase to customers for retail sale purposes. Watches are considered to be one of the commodities shown in this manner.
Sales of jewelry including watches increase and decrease sharply in accordance with particular seasons of the year. In particular, during the Christmas season when customer demand is strong, a large number of watches are in inventory and many are displayed in showcases by retailers. Immediately after Christmas, customer demand drops precipitously and merchandise levels are kept low.
Watches displayed for retail sale in glass showcases are mounted on "steps", or "elevations", which in turn rest on the floor of the glass showcase. A number of elevations are positioned adjoining one another. An easel, or tilt support, is generally placed under the elevation at its rear edge so as to present the elevation to customers at a slant. The easels are generally of slightly different sizes so that the elevations are presented at different angular slants. A first type of elevation used in seasons of high merchandise levels has a topside and a back side. The topside has a number of blocks, or parallel channels, for holding watch collars, which in turn support individual watches. The first type of elevation is typically capable of holding in the range of thirty watches. The back side has no function and is provided with a backing, generally of paper, which covers over the edges of the fabric covering of the elevation. Because merchants want to avoid having empty watch blocks, a second type of elevation is used in seasons of low merchandise levels. The second type of elevation has a level topside covered in fabric and, like the first type of elevation, has a backside having no function and provided with a backing, generally of paper, which covers over the edges of the fabric. Any of several types of small, independent watch displays each holding one or several watches are in turn mounted on the topside level surface of the second type of elevation. The second type of elevation presents many fewer watches than presented in the first type of elevation yet in an aesthetic manner. Thus, the retailer is able to show an artful display of watches in times of both high and low merchandise levels.
The problem with this system is that two completely different sets of elevations are needed by merchants over the course of a year. One or the other of the sets of elevations must be stored away during their time of non-use, a procedure that has several disadvantages. The major disadvantage is that the environment of the showcase must be disturbed at every change of selling season. Another disadvantage is that the stored elevations may be misplaced and are not available when they are needed. Yet another disadvantage is that convenient space must be found to store the unused sets of elevations.